Fate in Flora: A Historical Fiction

‘Mud, I knew it.’ Cold, thick, and sticky, the boots sank as she stood, making it difficult to move. ‘I need to get moving,’ she whispered to herself. She had to make it to town, else she would have no defense against her father. Her frizzy hair was falling out of her sun bonnet as she was trying to move her thin body quickly through the woods. She shifted out of the mud and onto the road. “He has to still be at the house.” She had about a thirty-minute head start, not enough to slow down.

The town was just up over this ridge; he would be there with his brothers. ‘Cross the bridge and hold your breath.’ The Pigeon River meant that she had almost reached the decision time. ‘Do I give the boy a chance? Or do I get on the train and go?’ Taking a deep breath, she prayed, “If I see him, I shall go to him. If not, I run. I will not be the next Mrs. Miller.”

She began to make her way towards the train station when she caught sight of a short man with gray eyes and a broad smile, “Why, if it isn’t the sweetest flower of the mountainside.” He moved from muddy streets onto the wooden walkway.

“David! David!” Mary whispered, yelled, “David! Where is Nathan?”

David’s eyes pierced right through her. “Why are you hiding from him? Did you finally figure out that you are too pretty for him?”

Mary’s face turned bright red. “Shut it, David. Where is he?”

David reached over and tussled her bonnet. “You know most consider me the more handsome brother.”

“Stop it! My words are important, Daddy is coming to speak with Mr. Miller!”

“May? Your dad isn’t gonna sell you off to that old man!” David’s eyes glanced up the road to see if he could see her dad.

“You don’t know how mad he is! He said with my brothers signing up for the war, we ain’t gonna have enough to feed us all. He said he can’t take care of me any longer.”

David looked at her for the first time in seriousness, “I guess you are seventeen now.”

“Yes, Daddy says it’s high time that I am no longer his problem. Where is Nathan?!”

David’s face then took on a devilish smile, “Aw, May, I will marry you. I am the eldest brother, and you would love being married to me. All the ladies say I am the best looking-”

Mary’s face didn’t flinch as she swatted at him half heartedly. “Stop playing! Where is Nathan?” She kept looking back the way she came, fearing that her father would be approaching.

David’s head gestured to the minister up the road a piece, and there was Nathan in a heated debate with the new Methodist Minister. All the Greene boys were considered handsome, but Nathan was the smart one; to May, that meant he was the best. She could not tolerate a fool, and Mr. Miller was an old fool. Six feet and thin, his dark hair, scruffy young beard, and bright green eyes made Nathan look fit and fierce.

Mary walked calmly towards Nathan and Minister Brown, “Good morning, gentlemen.”

Minister Brown bowed his head, and Nathan’s face lit up once he caught the eye of Mary. “Young Mary Douglas, it is lovely to see you on this bright, beautiful morning.”

“Minister Brown, how do you find our little town?”

“Delightful, young Mr. Greene and I were just discussing the Bible’s view on succession.” Mary made sounds of irritation before she could hide it. Both men raised their eyebrows at her noise of disapproval. “I see that you are no fan of the succession?”

“Men leaving us to fight and die? No, it is mildly inconvenient for us women.” Her frustration was apparent.

Both men laughed, “I guess you are correct, Miss. Douglas, women are always left to pick up the pieces and bury the dead.” Mary’s eyes lost all humor at this remark. “I apologize, I will leave you young people to talk. Good luck, young Mr. Greene.”

“Thank you, Minister.” Nathan quickly shoved his hands into his coat pockets, growing uncomfortable under Mary’s piercing glare. “Hello, May.”

“Hello? Hello? That is all you have to say? Daddy is hoppin’, and my brothers are all leaving, and now you are? Why don’t you hand me over to Mr. Miller right now!”

“Christ, May, what are you talking about?!”

“You can just say something stupid, and then you are going to leave me?”

“Mary, I meant what I said. I love you,” in a half-hushed whisper.

Mary stared deep into his eyes, “Prove it.” Her deep blue eyes cut through his bluster.

“Hey, Minister Brown! What are you doing this afternoon?” Nathan looked down the road to the young minister walking towards the dry goods store.

“Nathan, stop it! I won’t take this leadin’ on.” Mary spun away from Nathan in a fit of rage, but before she could take more than a step, he whipped her back around.

“I mean it. Minister Brown, can you do it now?”

The minister, not knowing what to make of this hill dance, just began to walk to the church. Mary’s red face was just inches away from Nathan’s sweet smile. “Maybe I will ask your brother if he thinks he might be ready to settle down.”

For the first time, Nathan’s smile dropped, “Don’t play-”

Mary stopped; she saw, in the briefest second, a plea. It would hurt him too much to poke him there. Then she took his hand in hers and as they approached the small gray wooden steps of the church. “I promise, I am not playing. I have always loved you, Miss. Merrygold Douglas.”

“It’s Mary or May. I will not respond to Merrygold.” His scruffy face was just inches away from hers.

“Then let me call you wife.”

“Daddy is going to kill you.”

Taking off his hat, “Honestly, I’m more worried about what my momma is going to say.”

Meanwhile, further in town..

Her hands were dry and cracked; soap-making was by far the worst part of autumn. It had to be done, and so much more with everyone scattering to the wind. Her husband was already about halfway to Kentucky with his cousin. Her reflection in the dark waters of the pot showed a lot more grey than she remembered. Still, her looks had not left her, despite the hardships life could bring.

“You thinking a cake might be nice before the older kids leave?”

Her younger sister had married the blacksmith’s apprentice, and now all those years of hard work had finally paid off. He now owned two blacksmith shops and had opened a business with a tanner. Her sister and brother-in-law were respectable people of the valley. While their house was still not on the nicest side of town, it was much nicer than the one-room cabin they had been born into. And if Lily had her way, she would have the nicest home out of everyone one day.

“Yes, I think we might. Although maybe if they let us break away from Tennessee, we can just stay out of it-”

“Lily, can you please? Do you hear how your husband and they are talking? I worry that some of them might come to blows tonight! All this, ‘then shall we take this outside?’ I know a threat when I hear one.”

“They are just very spirited men in the government.”

“No. They are tiny men, with a tiny amount of money, getting ready to fight.”

“Hazel! They are gentlemen, not Daddy and his friends on the side of the mountain.”

“Sounds the same to me.” The muffled words were becoming heated with terms like treason and ‘with what men?’ “Maybe if they went ahead and started punching each other, our sons wouldn’t have to go off to die.”

“This is how civilized people deal with things. With honor and decorum, not just punching on each other without cause-” They both froze, that was the sound of her husband’s brand-new desk breaking under the weight of two so-called civilized men landing blows on each other.

“I am not going in. This is your husband.”

Lily pulled her snow white hair back into her braid. She deftly laid her gloved hands on the knob of the door to her husband’s office. “Gentlemen, please, I must ask you, there are ladies present.” Hazel smiled to herself for being included in the accounting of ladies to her sister. Lily might think a lot of herself, but she does still love her family.

Lily’s husband was lying atop another gentleman wrestling on the ground. Her husband almost had the pale man in a fishhook. “Albert! Honestly! Collect yourself.”

Her words acted like a blast of cold air, freezing the men’s heat of anger. “Yes, dear. Our apologies to you and your dear sister. I promise that you two shall never have to bear witness to such a lack of civility-”

“Shut it, Albert-Gentlemen, please send our regards to your wives and families.” The gentleman, shamed by the lady of the house, backed out of the office. Hazel knew that Albert was getting ready to be picked apart limb by limb.

“Mrs. Jackson, dear sister, I fear I need to be getting this soap to Momma and Daddy lest you have to have them for a visit during these tense times.”

Lily, looking as if she were being called to her senses, put on her mask and thanked her sister for stopping by and for giving their parents all her love. Hazel, grabbing the needed supplies, let herself out of the back of the house. While not meaning to, she could hear parts of the discussion from the recently shamed men.

An old fat man was barely keeping his voice down as he spoke, “It is us versus them. It was only a matter of time before the first blow came-”

An elderly thin man waved his hands, “I understand that this is your business, but there aren’t enough men in the south for them to win. It isn’t about spirit, thought, or ideology for me, Cal, it’s purely a numbers thing. We don’t have the numbers.”

The old fat man gave the older man a smile that made Hazel’s skin crawl. His eyes looked empty and hollow. “There are other ways to win, you know.” A voice in Hazel’s head said, “Leave, now.” She moved away from the men as fast as she could without running, feeling the warmth of the sun slowly return to her body.